24. He read physics as North Carolina AT&T University
With his aunt’s help, Ronald successfully applied for a scholarship to North Carolina AT&T University. Ronald credited his love of science to the launch of the Soviet Sputnik satellite in 1957. The TV show Star Trek, with its multi-ethnic cast, inspired him to dream of one day getting to space. Although his state scholarship rewarded McNair’s formidable intelligence and achievements, it also reflected racism in South Carolina. According to his former lecturer, Tom Sandin, ‘[the scholarship] was given to any black student who would go out of state’. ‘It was their way of keeping blacks out [of South Carolina]’.
